S.E.N.D Reform England is a campaign group formed by 12 mothers of children with additional needs and disabilities across England.  They have talked to parents about provision over the last 8 months and have seen the stress and pressure on children and families. At a drop in organised by Clive Lewis MP, the group came to Parliament to speak to MPs in the Jubilee Room. I met with members of the organisation on Tuesday 16 January 2024.

 Their aims:

More SEN schools, SEN provisions and SEN friendly resources within mainstreams;
ECHP deadlines to be met and adhered to;
Adequate SEND training for teaching staff;
Improvement plans and safety values to be revoked with new focus being placed on delivering better quality rather than value
Post 16 offer to be more robust and inclusive with a centralised policy on transport;
Dedicated Minister for SEND education.

To find out more about the organisation visit: www.sendreformengland.com

On Monday 15 January 2024 the Prime Minister came to the House to make a statement and to be questioned for the first time following his agreement with the US to attack the Houthis in Yemen who had targeted ships in the Red Sea. The Prime Minister made the intervention without a motion to the House.   

"Having been born in Aden, I am obviously saddened that the democratic and humanitarian crisis in Yemen over the last nine years has not provoked such an active response against the Houthis. Can I ask the Prime Minister,  who advised the Prime Minister not to come to Parliament? and how will he ensure that the peace agreement in Yemen is actively and vigorously monitored and pursued?"

here is my question:


I was pleased the Prime Minister also increased funding to Ukraine.

The House debated and voted on the Opposition's reasoned amendment and the Third Reading of the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill on Wednesday 10 January 2024. The Bill seeks to prevent public bodies from making procurement and investment decisions - such as direct or indirect boycotts, disinvestment, or sanctions (BDS) campaigns - based on their own moral or political disapproval of a foreign authority.

The Opposition tabled a reasoned amendment in the name of Sir Keir Starmer which would add the following text to the Bill:

“this House, while opposing any discrimination or prejudice in the economic activities of public bodies, believing that all such bodies must act without bias or selectivity when making ethical decisions on procurement and investment and recognising the impact selective and biased campaigns have had on the Jewish community in particular, declines to give a Third Reading to the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill because it does not effectively address the problem it rightly seeks to solve, is incompatible with international law and UN Security Council Resolutions, risks undermining support for groups around the world facing persecution, includes needlessly broad and sweeping draconian powers while placing unprecedented restrictions on public bodies to express a view on current and proposed policy and represents a major departure from the UK Government’s long-established diplomatic position on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Golan Heights, in a way that undermines the UK’s future credibility and capacity to support diplomatic negotiations towards a just and lasting peace in Israel and Palestine based on a two-state solution, at a time when consistent support for that objective is more important than ever.” 

I voted in favour of the reasoned amendment which was defeated  Ayes 228: Noes 284.

I voted No on the Third Reading of the Bill but this passed Ayes 282: Noes 235.

The Bill has now moved to the House of Lords where it will have its 1st Reading tomorrow, 11 January 2024.

 

On Wednesday 10 January 2024, the House debated and voted on New Clauses 5 and 7 to the Finance Bill at its Committee Stage.

New Clause 5 would require the government to produce an assessment of the impact of the Bill’s tax evasion and avoidance measures. The assessment would need to examine whether the capacity and ability of HMRC was sufficient to properly enforce those measures.

I abstained on New Clause 5 which was defeated by a vote of Ayes 18: Noes 300.

The Opposition tabled New Clause 7 which would require the Chancellor to review the effectiveness of measures in this Act to prevent fraud involving taxpayers’ money, and to compare them with other measures that seek to prevent fraud involving taxpayers’ money and the approach taken in other countries. The New Clause would require the Government to be open and honest about what they are doing to prevent fraud involving taxpayers’ money, in terms of the measures in this Bill, other measures more widely and in comparison with the practices overseas.

I voted in favour of New Clause 7 but this was defeated by a vote of Ayes 222: Noes 301.

After the Committee stage, the Bill will enter the Report stage followed by the Third reading in the House of Commons. Once it passes these stages it will move to the House of Lords for its First reading.

Early Day Motions (EDMs) are tabled by Members of Parliament to highlight topical issues. 

I signed the following EDMs on:

'Sub-postmasters':

"That this House notes the increased awareness of the life-changing injustices experienced by sub-postmasters throughout the Horizon scandal; further notes it is now known as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history; notes with concern that sub-postmasters have served custodial sentences, suffered bankruptcy for offences they did not commit and many have died before seeing justice; expresses concern that the actions of the Post Office and the Government have prolonged this crisis and added barriers to justice being achieved; further notes that the Post Office has repeatedly been exposed for having given out false and misleading information throughout this scandal and should play no part in determining who is entitled to compensation or how much they should get; and strongly urges the Government to take action to ensure full compensation is paid, the remaining convictions are looked at en masse, that justice prevail for all postmasters and that those responsible for this gross miscarriage of justice are held accountable."

'Pension restitution for women born in the 1950s':

"That this House welcomes the positive interventions from so many hon. Members from across the House on behalf of women born in the 1950s who have suffered pensions loss through the targeting of their pension rights; pays tribute to constituents and campaigners in their ongoing fight for justice; recalls that women born in the 1950s were subject to discriminatory laws; and encourages the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to join mediation, noting there are no impediments to doing so."

'Integrated Care Board funding for children’s hospices in England':

"That this House notes with concern the huge variance in local NHS spending on children’s hospice and palliative care in England, as found in the recent freedom of information requests published by the charity Together for Short Lives; is concerned that the amounts spent by each NHS integrated care board (ICB) varied by as much as £483 per child or young person in 2022-23; is also concerned by the lack of understanding among ICBs on the number of children who need palliative care or the numbers accessing services; calls on the Government to urgently confirm how and when the £25 million NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant will be distributed in 2024-25; further calls on the Government to direct NHS England to hold ICBs to greater account for the way in which they commission children’s palliative care; asks the Government to direct NHS England to ensure ICBs work with neighbouring ICBs in their region to plan and fund children’s palliative care services; and also calls on the Government to commit to a dedicated long-term strategy in the NHS mandate that addresses the palliative care needed by children and young people."

'Adult literacy':

"That this House recognises that poor literacy skills and illiteracy can consign adults to insecure and low-paid work, lead to poverty and isolation and leave them vulnerable to exploitation; further recognises that people who struggle to read and write can face difficulty in accessing housing, social security, health and care services, education, skills, training and job opportunities, supporting their own children’s educational development and in staying in touch with friends and family; notes that literacy is invaluable in enabling people to communicate with each other and engage with the world around them; expresses concern that the National Literacy Trust estimates 7.1 million adults in England, 16.4% of the adult population, have very poor literacy skills, 931,000 adults in Scotland, 26.7%, experience challenges due to their lack of literacy skills, 216,000 adults in Wales, 12%, lack basic literacy skills and 256,000 adults in Northern Ireland, 17.4%, have very poor literacy skills; believes that these figures amount to a crisis in adult literacy across the UK and that this needs attention as a matter of urgency if we are to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential and if we are to address the economic challenges our country faces; and further believes it is vital that adults who struggle with reading and writing get the support that they need."

EDMs are motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons for which no day has been fixed. As there is no specific time allocated to EDMs very few are debated. However, many attract a great deal of public interest and media coverage.